Perspective: Confidence Men and the contrived state of denial

By a Special Correspondent

Discourse one/3
The Patriotic Front (PF) appears to be increasingly imprisoned by the fraudulent means by which it sought and obtained power, writes Zambian Eye Special Correspondent.

The selective memory loss that its key leaders-President Michael Sata and Vice-President Guy Scott – are beginning to exhibit on the issue of releasing the draft new constitution appears to be the only stratagem now available to them to wriggle out of their clearly stated commitments.

But it is a messy business even for the seasoned confidence men that they are turning out to be as now even the rank and file of the PF in Lusaka at least, is calling for progress. Lack of progress on the constitution is one of their stated reasons for wanting the PF General-Secretary Wynter Kabimba out.

The new strategy of forgetting selectively and denigrating all those who dare remind the top two of their wholesome election promises does not appear to be the result of the ill-health that the country has recently learnt is a factor for their lackluster performance.
That strategy only diminishes them in the eyes of all right – thinking members of society. It will also unfailingly exact a heavy toll on their record.

The reputation of President Sata in particular is likely to suffer perhaps irreparable damage. Already, since his assumption of office there has been a marked and alarming decline in standards.

There has been wilful disregard of lawful court orders for instance and that in a country founded on the rule of law, freedom of assembly and opposition political parties have been proscribed contrary to the same constitution they would have us believe is adequate and political violence planned and authorized by the governing party has become the only politics in town!

It is evident that the PF has in fact failed the test of government in the most basic and fundamental way! These activities have greatly diminished the leaders of the PF in the eyes of the civilized world and they weigh lightly! These actions also constitute a clear assault on the basic framework of Zambian democracy. Under the PF, democracy has been kicked out of the window. But still the president and his assistant continue to act stoic and with only perhaps Dutch courage have continued to insist that all is well.

But it isn’t. They are fast sinking into another hole. For, their new strategy for withholding the constitution using all manner of excuses to evade keeping their election promise confirms them as hardened confidence men willing to keep up the ruse until the end, whatever it may be!

Thus, as fully exposed as they now are for who they really are they have no choice but eschew remorse and continue to pretend or hope that the smokescreen they have erected will hold.

The country is bewildered by their antics as they struggle to wriggle out of the wholesome promises they made while campaigning for office. The spotlight remains on them and what has emerged is far from edifying.

Discourse Two/3
It was none other than President Sata who led the way in promising to act on the constitution without delay. But today he is the same man who must denigrate and play down calls for progress. He is even a menace as the case of bishop George Lungu illustrates. There is no longer any pretence of constructive discussion, only the thumbs down.

The message is clear: that they are now in office and can afford to show their true colours. The constitution was only important to the extent that it won them office- no more!
Attempts by Dr. (sic) Scott to reopen the debate of yesteryear are particularly pathetic. How can he even begin to discuss a document that isn’t in the public domain? The Inquiries Act way of doing things was roundly rejected but this is what is happening- a listening government?

It is clear that the draft is being withheld illegally because the agreed mode was to release it to the public as soon as it was ready. The PF has failed to do that despite their fervent promises to do so. Last November Dr. Scott promised in the national assembly that it would be published by the end of the year and that the ten copies that the powers that be had decreed to be the only ones printed were for purely ceremonial purposes. Sadly none of this was true!

The subsequent discourse has been of low quality perhaps in an attempt to discourage participation and it has been characterized by the delusion that those who want progress are misguided, do not know what they are talking about and have to be pitied!
But in fact it is the other way round.

Authentic recordings exist of President Sata promising a new constitution as part of the PF’s vaunted “90-day programme” which lay in tatters as soon as the party won office and has been under revision by degrees since and has now been practically repudiated altogether.

This constitution which the president is cuddling has been in process since 2003. It has been costly in money, time and energy and the document is so central to the country that its conclusion would mark a milestone in the country’s history. For, a constitution sends a message to the outside world about the values and aspirations- the starting point of a country. But it now turns out that the PF is incapable of rising to the occasion!

By contrast, many of those calling for progress actually understand the centrality of the constitution to this country and after the long-drawn out process now rightly want it in place. That is logical. What isn’t is this deepening self-delusion that they are somehow deranged or in some other way out of their minds.

It is truly astounding that the president now openly casts aspersions on those who want progress. In fact they want to help him salvage something from his five years in office. (Those pre-cabinet meeting tantrums over fat ministers, sale of one government house and 2500 hectares of land won’t count.)

The advocates are simply going by the firm election promise and are disappointed and very taken aback that a man in his position would resort to the pedestrian methods that now seem the only weapon in his arsenal. He now regards them as virtual enemies when they were allies in the same cause not so long ago!

Many demanding the release of the draft are not as hypocritical as the PF crowd and want it released and it isn’t an offence. Quite to the contrary they are within their rights.

Discourse Three/3
There is a heavy price to pay for all this: The PF may now well go down in history as Zambia’s most repressive administration that violated the constitution and the law willfully and above all failed to give the country an overdue constitution and as having been led by a particularly bad species of politicians who specialized in tall promises that they had no intention of keeping and were wedded to lies. It a record that stinks and is bound to keep those involved turning in their graves long after they have expired!